Vibrotactile control systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are disclosed to facilitate creating the sensation of vibrotactile movement on the body of a user. Vibratory motors are used to generate a haptic language for music or other stimuli that is integrated into wearable technology. The disclosed system in certain embodiments enables the creation of a family of devices that allow people such as those with hearing impairments to experience sounds such as music or other input to the system. For example, a “sound vest” or other wearable array transforms musical input to haptic signals so that users can experience their favorite music in a unique way, and can also recognize auditory or other cues in the user&#39;s real or virtual reality environment and convey this information to the user using haptic signals.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/881,443, filed May 22, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/381,610, filed Dec. 16, 2016, now abandoned,which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/713,908,filed May 15, 2015, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,679,546 on Jun. 13, 2017,which claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/994,753, filed May 16, 2014, each of which is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to vibrotactile technologies, systems, andsubsystems and, more specifically to systems to control vibrations tomake it easy to create the sensation of vibrotactile movement on thebody of a user. Also, this disclosure relates to a wearable vestdesigned to enable individuals such as hearing-impaired persons toexperience sounds or other stimuli of various kinds, including but notlimited to music, alarms, game events, and speech.

BACKGROUND

An aspect of the present disclosure is a system that uses vibratorymotors to generate a haptic language for audio (or other stimuli) thatis integrated into wearable technology. The inventive “sound vest” isintended as an assistive device for the hearing-impaired in certainembodiments. The disclosed system enables the creation of a family ofdevices that allow people, such as those with hearing impairments, toexperience sounds such as music, or other inputs, to the system. Thefunctionality of vests according to aspects of the present inventioncould include transforming sound/music/game input to haptic signals sothat users can experience their favorite music in a unique way, and alsosystems that can recognize auditory cues in a user's everydayenvironment and convey this information to the user using hapticsignals. Such pertinent auditory inputs could include a loud siren,someone calling out the user's name, etc.

It is desirable to address the limitations in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

By way of example, reference will now be made to the accompanyingdrawings, which are not to scale.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment.

FIG. 2 depicts aspects of certain embodiments of the present inventionintegrated into a wearable vest.

FIG. 3 is a photograph of a prototype in which a network of motors isstitched into a piece of fabric according to aspects of certainembodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an algorithm according to aspects of thepresent invention in certain embodiments for converting audio data orother stimuli into signals for driving a network of vibrating motorsincorporated into a wearable vest.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram of a computing device that may be used toimplement aspects of certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram of a main display of the vibrotactilecontrol system VCS in any given computing device that may be used toimplement aspects of certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram of a movement wheel device that may beused to implement aspects of certain embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary timeline chart that enables the vibrotactilecreator to draw intensities over time, according to certain embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram of a wave sound representation, which isa standard audio file representation that can be utilize as an audioguide, according to certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary play/record bar that controls the systemplay and record engine, according to the embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary tool selector to draw the desired shape onthe timeline, according to the embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 12 depicts an exemplary Brownian grain display according toembodiments of the present invention. The graininess created, adds aBrownian random generator that increases the seed size so the valueswiggle around each given number instead of ramping up straight.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary diagram of a vibrotactile body display VBDshowing the points of the body being vibrated at any given time at agiven intensity, according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 14 depicts an exemplary file export display that will export a fileto a MPE MIDI file or an eight-channel .aiff file that may be used toimplement aspects of certain embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the followingdescription of the present invention is illustrative only and not in anyway limiting. Other embodiments of the invention will readily suggestthemselves to such skilled persons, having the benefit of thisdisclosure, and the general principles defined herein may be applied toother embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accordedthe widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosedherein. Reference will now be made in detail to specific implementationsof the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and thefollowing description to refer to the same or like parts.

The data structures and code described in this detailed description aretypically stored on a computer readable storage medium, which may be anydevice or medium that can store code and/or data for use by a computersystem. This includes, but is not limited to, magnetic and opticalstorage devices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, CDs (compact discs)and DVDs (digital versatile discs or digital video discs), and computerinstruction signals embodied in a transmission medium (with or without acarrier wave upon which the signals are modulated). For example, thetransmission medium may include a communications network, such as theInternet.

The present disclosure in certain embodiments relates to a system, or“sound vest”, that uses vibratory motors to generate a haptic languagefor music or other sound, or other stimuli, that is integrated intowearable technology. A technical challenge to creating such a system isto design a system that decomposes auditory or other input into controlsignals that can be streamed out to a network of motors. The presentinventors have designed a preliminary system that in certain embodimentperforms entry-level signal processing techniques on the incoming soundor other stimuli in order to determine the spectral profile of theinput. The motors are then powered based on the magnitude of thespectral power.

A preliminary design of the system in certain embodiments enables theuse of up to 64 motors to represent the incoming audio or other stimuli.A revised design in certain embodiments utilizes 64 motors on each ofthe front and back sides of the vest, for a total of 128 motors. Forexample, each of M1, M2, M3, and M4 in FIG. 2 could represent up to 16separate motors, for a total of 64 motors on the front side of the vest40. A similar network of 64 motors could be deployed on the back side ofthe vest. The user's entire torso may be utilized to create a tono-topicmap of the torso that is, vibratory motors on the left (L) side of thevest may be mapped to the left speaker, vibratory motors on the right(R) side of the vest may be mapped to the right speaker, vibratorymotors on the bottom of the vest may be mapped to low frequencies, andvibratory motors on the top of the vest may be mapped to highfrequencies.

FIG. 1 depicts the basic system in certain embodiments, including signalprocessor (20) that receives audio input (10) (e.g., from a microphone(50, see FIG. 2 ) or audio jack) and transforms the input audio signalinto a haptic language for driving (30) a network of motors denoted M1,M2, M3, and M4. The signal processor may also include ananalog-to-digital converter (ADC) (22) for digitizing real-time audiosignals provided in analog form, memory or storage (24) for storingaudio data, executable instructions, and the like; and a voicerecognition module (26).

As shown in FIG. 2 , the motors M1 through M4 may be integrated into awearable vest (40) such that M1 and M2 are on the right side of theuser's torso, and M3 and M4 are on the left side of the user's torso.Moreover, motors M1 and M3 may vibrate to represent the higher frequencycomponents of the audio input, whereas motors M2 and M4 may vibrate torepresent the lower frequency components. It should be understood thatin a commercial implementation, there would likely be many more thanfour motors in certain embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 3 , using conductive thread and relatively low-costvibratory motors, an initial prototype was made by stitching thread intofabric, as illustrated.

Applicants are aware of information in the public domain relating towearable technology with haptic feedback. Copies of this information arebeing submitted in conjunction with this application in InformationDisclosure Statements (IDS). Some of the known prior art referencestranslate sound to vibration, but the present disclosure is different incertain embodiments in that it goes beyond a simple sensorysubstitution. The brain is an amazingly “plastic” organ, and we willtake advantage of its plasticity by giving the hearing impaired theopportunity to experience music through a haptic “language.” Thisdifference lies in the real-time spectral analysis performed as themusic streams into the micro-controller at the heart of the sound vestin certain embodiments—the audio streams in and is broken down to arepresentation of its basic frequency components. Then, each frequencydomain is sent to a different part of the body (i.e., if the user islistening to Alvin and the Chipmunks, he will feel a lot of vibration upby his collarbones, and not much down low; listen to Barry White, and itwill be the other way around due to the dominance of Mr. White's lowfrequency components). The inventive system in certain embodiments canalso represent stereo by streaming to the left side of the body for theleft speaker and right speaker to the right side.

Further Developments

During the course of further developing the system described above, wehave discovered that the process of creating musical sensation thoughtactile stimuli can be improved in several ways in certain embodiments:

1. The audio signals or other stimuli can be improved by converting theminto the MIDI (i.e., Musical Instrument Digital Interface) data formatin certain embodiments, and then reducing the data to a small definednumber of tracks, e.g., four (4) tracks representing drums, bass,guitars, and vocal. Other selections could be used as well, depending onthe type of music. (Those skilled in the art understand that MIDI is atechnical standard that enables a wide variety of electronic musicalinstruments, computers and other related devices to connect andcommunicate with one another. A single MIDI link can carry up to sixteenchannels of information, each of which can be routed to a separatedevice.)

2. Instead of mapping the audio signals to the motors as described above(i.e., mapping higher frequencies to the top of the vest and mapping thelower frequencies to the bottom of the vest), it may be advantageous incertain embodiments to map each of the 4 tracks to different parts ofthe vest. For example, the signals corresponding to vocals can bedirected to the mid-section while the drums, bass, and guitar signalsare directed to respective regions surrounding the mid-section. Thismapping has been found to create less cross-over and less “muddiness” tothe vibrations created by the motors.

3. If the system is unable to convert live audio to MIDI data in realtime, it can be advantageous in certain embodiments to provide a mode inwhich the music data is first downloaded and then played back throughthe vest. In this way, the user can experience the music, albeit not ina real-time, “live” setting.

As shown in FIG. 4 , an algorithm for converting audio data or otherstimuli into signals for driving a network of vibrating motorsincorporated into a wearable vest comprises the following steps incertain embodiments: First, in step S1, audio data in MIDI format isobtained. The data can either be downloaded to the system from a thirdparty provider, or created using recorded audio and an audio productionsoftware tool. In step S2, the MIDI data is organized into 4 tracksrepresenting vocals, drums, guitars, and bass. In step S3, the 4 tracksare mapped to different regions of the sound vest; and in step S4 therespective tracks of data are used to drive the motors in the differentregions.

The system in certain embodiments may be enhanced by providing wirelesslinks between the signal processor and the motors. In addition, a voicerecognition module may be incorporated to enable the system to recognizespecific spoken words for selective playback through the motors. Forexample, the user's name may be specifically recognized and used tosignal the user through the motors.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram of a computing device 500 that may beused to implement aspects of certain embodiments of the presentinvention. Computing device 500 may include a bus 501, one or moreprocessors 505, a main memory 510, a read-only memory (ROM) 515, astorage device 520, one or more input devices 525, one or more outputdevices 530 (including vibrotactile actuators such as motors, asdescribed herein), and a communication interface 535. Bus 501 mayinclude one or more conductors that permit communication among thecomponents of computing device 500. Processor 505 may include any typeof conventional processor, microprocessor, or processing logic thatinterprets and executes instructions. Main memory 510 may include arandom-access memory (RAM) or another type of dynamic storage devicethat stores information and instructions for execution by processor 505.ROM 515 may include a conventional ROM device or another type of staticstorage device that stores static information and instructions for useby processor 505. Storage device 520 may include a magnetic and/oroptical recording medium and its corresponding drive. Input device(s)525 may include one or more conventional mechanisms that permit a userto input information to computing device 500, such as a keyboard, amouse, a pen, a stylus, handwriting recognition, voice recognition,biometric mechanisms, and the like. Output device(s) 130 may include oneor more conventional mechanisms that output information to the user,including a display, a projector, an A/V receiver, a printer, a speaker,and the like. Communication interface 535 may include anytransceiver-like mechanism that enables computing device/server 500 tocommunicate with other devices and/or systems. Computing device 500 mayperform operations based on software instructions that may be read intomemory 110 from another computer-readable medium, such as data storagedevice 520, or from another device via communication interface 535. Thesoftware instructions contained in memory 510 cause processor 505 toperform processes that will be described later. Alternatively,hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination withsoftware instructions to implement processes consistent with the presentinvention. Thus, various implementations are not limited to any specificcombination of hardware circuitry and software.

In certain embodiments, memory 510 may include without limitationhigh-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or otherrandom access solid state memory devices; and may include withoutlimitation non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic diskstorage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, orother non-volatile solid state storage devices. Memory 510 mayoptionally include one or more storage devices remotely located from theprocessor(s) 505. Memory 510, or one or more of the storage devices(e.g., one or more non-volatile storage devices) in memory 510, mayinclude a computer readable storage medium. In certain embodiments,memory 510 or the computer readable storage medium of memory 510 maystore one or more of the following programs, modules and datastructures: an operating system that includes procedures for handlingvarious basic system services and for performing hardware dependenttasks; a network communication module that is used for connectingcomputing device 510 to other computers via the one or morecommunication network interfaces and one or more communication networks,such as the Internet, other wide area networks, local area networks,metropolitan area networks, and so on; a client application that maypermit a user to interact with computing device 500.

Certain text and/or figures in this specification may refer to ordescribe flow charts illustrating methods and systems. It will beunderstood that each block of these flow charts, and combinations ofblocks in these flow charts, may be implemented by computer programinstructions. These computer program instructions may be loaded onto acomputer or other programmable apparatus to produce a machine, such thatthe instructions that execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus create structures for implementing the functions specified inthe flow chart block or blocks. These computer program instructions mayalso be stored in computer-readable memory that can direct a computer orother programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner, suchthat the instructions stored in computer-readable memory produce anarticle of manufacture including instruction structures that implementthe function specified in the flow chart block or blocks. The computerprogram instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or otherprogrammable apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to beperformed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce acomputer-implemented process such that the instructions that execute onthe computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps forimplementing the functions specified in the flow chart block or blocks.

Accordingly, blocks of the flow charts support combinations ofstructures for performing the specified functions and combinations ofsteps for performing the specified functions. It will also be understoodthat each block of the flow charts, and combinations of blocks in theflow charts, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedcomputer systems that perform the specified functions or steps, orcombinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

For example, any number of computer programming languages, such as C,C++, C# (CSharp), Perl, Ada, Python, Pascal, SmallTalk, FORTRAN,assembly language, and the like, may be used to implement aspects of thepresent invention. Further, various programming approaches such asprocedural, object-oriented or artificial intelligence techniques may beemployed, depending on the requirements of each particularimplementation. Compiler programs and/or virtual machine programsexecuted by computer systems generally translate higher levelprogramming languages to generate sets of machine instructions that maybe executed by one or more processors to perform a programmed functionor set of functions.

In the descriptions set forth herein, certain embodiments are describedin terms of particular data structures, preferred and optionalenforcements, preferred control flows, and examples. Other and furtherapplication of the described methods, as would be understood afterreview of this application by those with ordinary skill in the art, arewithin the scope of the invention. The term “machine-readable medium”should be understood to include any structure that participates inproviding data that may be read by an element of a computer system. Sucha medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatilemedia, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile mediainclude, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other persistentmemory such as devices based on flash memory (such as solid-statedrives, or SSDs). Volatile media include dynamic random access memory(DRAM) and/or static random access memory (SRAM). Transmission mediainclude cables, wires, and fibers, including the wires that comprise asystem bus coupled to a processor. Common forms of machine-readablemedia include, for example and without limitation, a floppy disk, aflexible disk, a hard disk, a solid-state drive, a magnetic tape, anyother magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, a DVD, or any other optical medium.

FIG. 6 is a grayscale version of an exemplary embodiment of a main viewdisplay 600, also called the vibrotactile control system VCS 610 herein.In the embodiment of FIG. 6 , each section of the system representsdifferent components of the main display that may serve to craft thevibrations that are coupled to a sound file. In certain embodiments ofthis invention, the sound file could comprise prerecorded sound or alive system. In both cases, the intention would be to replicate thevibrations of live instruments or sounds being play in real time.

The main view display 610 may facilitate understanding and interactionwith the system in certain embodiments, and may be used to create anintuitive experience with little or no stiff learning curve, allowingthe user to easily adopt the technology.

In the example of the main view display 610 shown in FIG. 6 , startingfrom the top left corner, the embodiment of the present invention mayinclude a movement wheel 710, a Brownian grain display 1210, and a fileexport display 1410. In the center, from top to bottom it may alsoinclude a play/record bar 1010, a wave sound representation 910, whichmay be a standard audio file representation, and a timeline chart 810.Finally, on the left portion of the main view display 610, an embodimentmay show a vibrotactile body display 1310 and a tool selector 1110.

Embodiments of the present invention may be used to implement aspectsthat will create a surround body experience, in which the vibrotactilecreator can craft and control vibrations to any part of the body at anygiven point in time.

FIG. 7 is a grayscale version of an exemplary embodiment of the movementwheel 700. In the embodiment of the present invention, the movementwheel 710 can be used to easily create or craft the sensation ofvibrotactile movement on the body of a user, and it allows avibrotactile creator to control movement and intensity.

Each section of the embodiment of FIG. 7 shows a different part of thebody, such as the ribcage 730 section of the body, the spine 731, themid back 732, the low back of the body 733, the left wrist 734, theright wrist 735, the left ankle 736, the right ankle 737 of a humanbody. Each module of the moment wheel 710 could be color coded, labeledor add a patter that would be associate to a specific part of the bodydescribed within the embodiment of the moment wheel 710.

In certain embodiments, the vibrotactile creator may simultaneously usethe movement wheel 710 and the Brownian grain display 1210 to draw apath 740 that represents the movement from one part of the body to theother controlling the intensity of the line as it is drawn and thegraininess of it. The thickness of the line is directly related to theintensity of the vibration. The thinner the line, the weaker thevibration and the thicker the line the stronger the vibration. Each linehas the possibility of been drawn with different intensities as the usermoves throughout the movement wheel 710. The movement varies withintensity in time.

For example, the user may start to draw the path 740 in the mid back 732and move down to the low back 733. As the path moves down the vibrationscould increase or decrease in intensity. In certain embodiments of thisinvention, the path 740 drawn by the vibrotactile creator may depictsmooth lines 741 or dotted lines 742. Dotted lines 742 will indicatethat in that specific vibration a degree of graininess is applied.Smooth lines 741 will indicate that in that specific part of the path740 graininess was not applied.

In certain embodiments, the vibrotactile wheel 710 and the Browniangrain display 1210 may be visualized as a dynamic display that has to beoperated at the same time to craft the vibrations as the sound is beingplayed. Their operation could depend, for example, on the operation of amouse or a touch screen to draw the path 740 of the movement and theintensity of the lines, and an expression pedal to select the level ofgraininess for the purpose of making the experience more dynamic.

In certain embodiments of the movement wheel 710, the user may lockadjacent positions of the body, toggling a switch with a feature called“lock group” herein. For example, the left ankle 736 may be locked withthe right ankle 737 using the lock group option 722. Similarly, the leftwrist 734 may be locked with the right wrist 735 with lock group option721, and the low back position 733 may be locked with the mid backposition 732 with lock group 720. A lock group may be used toautomatically replicate the vibration created for one area intowhichever area is locked with it. When a lock group feature is on, incertain embodiments one vibration triggers both parts of the body forsymmetry.

FIG. 8 is a grayscale version of an exemplary embodiment of the timelinechart 800, which enables the vibrotactile creator to draw intensitiesover time for an specific part of the body.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8 , the intensity values 840 range from 0 to4095. These ranges of values are represented in the timeline 810 byhorizontal lines 860 parallel to the x axis, and they show the intensityof the vibration. Time is measured along the x axis in intervals markedby vertical lines parallel to the y axis; these intervals are calledtempo 861, and they represent the time that it is taking the vibrationto move across intensities. The tempo 861 helps to divide the wave soundrepresentation 910 into segments, in order to have a bettervisualization of the waveform at any given time. The time 850 in thetimeline chart 810 can be adjusted in milliseconds 852 or beats perminute BPM 851. This visual aid may help to craft the vibration for theparticular part of the piece that is being played.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8 , the timeline 810 may feature the same bodypart names and/or colors as the movement wheel 710, but arranged inchannels. In certain embodiments, channel 830 corresponds to theribcage, channel 831 is the spine, channel 832 corresponds to the midback, channel 833 to the low back, channel 834 and 835 correspond to theleft and right wrist respectively, and channels 836 and 837 correspondto the left and right ankles.

Because the embodiment of the timeline 810 may feature the individualbody parts, also seen in the embodiment of the movement wheel 710, thevibrotactile creator or user can concentrate in crafting the vibrationsone part of the body at a time. Each body part has its own channel (830,831, 832, 833, 834, 835, 836 and 837) in certain embodiments, whichmeans that the user can mute all but one channel and begin the craftingprocess for an individual body part, or, if using the lock group feature(820, 821 and 822), for a set of body parts. These lock group featuresare also seen in the embodiment of the movement wheel 710.

The gray area shown in the ribcage timeline chart 830 is an exemplarydepiction of an area called a loop point 870. This area may be selectedto be repeated for purpose of editing and/or for playing back an audiofile. The loop point 870 selection within a channel may be a particularpart of the timeline or the entire timeline, the vibrotactile creator620 can change the size of the loop point.

The waveforms or “vibrotactile forms” shown in the embodiment of FIG. 8represent vibrations. In certain embodiments of the present invention,these vibrotactile waveforms allow the user of the sound vest system tofeel different type of vibrations. For example, dots may feel differentfrom line-based waveforms.

FIG. 8 depicts a visual example of the vibration that may occur in eachchannel. This example shows the vibrotactile forms for the vibrations onthe ribcage 830, the spine 831, the mid back 832, the low back 833, theleft wrist 834, the right wrist 835, left ankle 836 and the right ankle837.

FIG. 9 is a grey scale version of a wave sound representation of astandard audio file 900. In the embodiment of FIG. 9 , the wave soundrepresentation 910 may be loaded (see LOAD AUDIO button 930) into theVCS 610 so it can be visualized in the display of the audio guide 920 tobe used when crafting vibrations. The lines that divide the audio guiderepresent the tempo 940. The tempo lines 940 of the standard audio filealign with the tempo lines 861 of the time line as shown in FIG. 8 .

A grey scale representation of a bar 1000, shown in the embodiment ofFIG. 10 , controls the play and record engine of the system. Theplayback speed 1020 can be adjusted in the corresponding box. Thenegative values play the file backwards, and the positive values playthe file forwards 1030. The loop mode 1040 may be set to: (1) off (i.e.,circular, goes to the end and starts again); or (2) palindrome (i.e.,goes to the end and plays backwards to the beginning).

For example, when a sound file is played in the play and record engineof the exemplary system 1010 shown in FIG. 10 , the sound may bevisualized as a wave sound representation 900. This visual match mayhelp the vibrotactile creator 620 to craft the vibrations for thespecific part of the piece that is being played, visualizing thevibrations in the channels of the timeline 810.

In the embodiment of the tool selector 1100 shown in FIG. 11 , the usermay select a tool from the tool selector 1110 to draw the desired shapeon the timeline 810. The tool selector 1110 works like a photo editor oran audio distorted station, because it lets the user select what kind ofline it would be used to craft the waveforms in the timeline 810.

The tool selector depicted in FIG. 11 may be used to implementembodiments of the present invention. For example, when the user workswith the linear “fade in” part of the tool selector 1110, he or she maydraw a part of the waveform that would be a straight line 1120. When1121 is chosen, it depicts a movement that goes fast at first and thenslows down at the end; 1123 would be the opposite to 1121. The s-curve1122 shows a combination of the movements described in 1121 and 1123,where the waveform moves fast initially, then stabilizes in a plateau,then ends with a fast movement towards the maximum vibration. This typeof moment may emulate what is called in music a psychoacoustic emotionaleffect. The user may feel a sudden burst of vibration followed by aplateau that will have him/her in suspense and then another burst ofvibration. It may have an emotional effect.

In vibrotactile language according to certain embodiments, 1130 iscalled a click herein. In the display 1110, it is the equivalent of astaccato note in music. The click 1130 may be set 1131 from 10 to 50milliseconds. After 50 milliseconds it turns into a small line becausethe vibration achieved is not a click per se but a short buzz. The clickcannot last more than 50 milliseconds, its maximum value, otherwise itis received as a line, not a dot. But also, it cannot be shorter than 10milliseconds because it may be hard to perceive due to the spinninglimitation of the eccentric rotating mass vibration motors (ERM) used asvibrotacile actuators in certain embodiments. The ideal click using thistechnology may be between 30 and 50 milliseconds, based on experimentalresults.

In the embodiment of FIG. 11 , the fade-out display that comprises 1140,1141, 1142 and 1143 works opposite to the fade in display (1120, 1121,1122 and 1123). Instead of fading in a vibration, it fades out.

The free-drawing display may allow the user to draw an uneven line. Forexample, if the main display timeline 810 is in a touch screen a usercould create any line shape and it would create endless possibilitiesfor the waveforms. Finally, the undo button 1160 is provided to removeany part of the wave form in the timeline 800 that the user does notwant to use anymore.

When the tool selector 1100 fade-in and fade-out waveforms arevisualized in the main display 600, the user can modify them by changingthe time or the amplitude. This gives the craft of the vibration endlesspossibilities.

In the embodiment of FIG. 12 , the graininess amount 1210 creates avibration that is not smooth. It is a type of noise in the vibration,that would distort a smooth vibration, creating crackling. Thegraininess amount 1220 can be set from 0 to 100% as shown in exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 12 . The graininess may add a Brownian randomgenerator effect 1200 that increases the seed size 1220 so the values“wiggle” around each given number instead of ramping up straight. Theeffect may feel like a vibrotactile distorted guitar; it may addexpressiveness and interest to an otherwise clean signal.

The visual expression of graininess is given in the embodiment of themovement wheel 710. When graininess is applied the otherwise smoothlines 741 in the drawn path 740 will acquire spaces, like dotted lines742 that will represent unevenness.

FIG. 13 presents an embodiment of the vibrotactile body display VBD1310. This embodiment shows the points of the body being vibrated at anygiven time at a given intensity. The gray scale points (1330A, 1330B,1331, 1332, 1333, 1334, 1335, 1336, 1337) may correspond to the grayscale colors on the movement wheel 710 and the grey scale colors in thetimeline 610, for cohesiveness. The stronger a color is seen on thedisplay, the stronger the vibration is on that point.

After the vibrotactile creator or user is finished crafting theexperience, in certain embodiments he or she can then export the file toa MPE (multidimensional polyphonic expression) MIDI file 1410, as shownin FIG. 14 . In the embodiment of FIG. 14 , the user may export to a MPE(midi) file 1420, allowing the vibrotactile creator to control the videonotes, this would typically not be possible without the MPE (midi) file.The user may also export into an eight channel .aiff audio file 1430.The user may turn on Open Sound Control OSC 1440 on and off to send thedata in real time to other applications (e.g., audio, video and lightingsoftware for example). The set port 1450 can be customized,traditionally to 7400-7500 (1455) for sending out the vibrations to anaccess point so it can be transmitted to the wearer's body wirelesslyand finally the user can type in (see 1060) the Internet Protocol (“IP”)address 1465 needed for OSC output in the network, Internet, Ethernet,etc.

Certain embodiments implement methods and systems for creating and/orapplying vibrations to a user's body, including simultaneous stimulationof multiple parts of a user's body during gaming sessions such as invirtual reality (“VR”) applications. According to aspects of the presentinvention, in certain embodiments, vibration stimuli matching the audioand/or visual effects found in VR environments are applied to a user'sbody, and in some of those embodiments, two or more such stimuli areapplied simultaneously to different parts of a user's body.

Methods and systems implemented in certain embodiments use what is call“haptic panning” herein. This is similar to audio panning—when viewerswatch a car moving from left to right on a screen they can also hear thesound following the image. The sound does not actually “move” with thecar. The speakers placed at the left and right of the screen modulatethe intensity of the sound according to well-known equations to createthe illusion of movement of the sound source.

Likewise, various methods may be implemented similar to those known toskilled artisans for panning audio (e.g., constant power, vector-basedamplitude panning (VBAP), ambisonics, etc.) to move vibrations aroundthe body of a user. So, if it goal is to “move” the vibrations from leftwrist to right wrist, for example, the following three different stagesare implemented in certain embodiments: (A) “Left”, vibrations at 85% onLeft Wrist, 10% on Ribcage, 5% on Right Wrist; (B) “Center,” vibrationsat 10% on Left Wrist, 80% on Ribcage, 10% on Left Wrist; (C) “Right,”vibrations at 5% on Left Wrist, 10% on Ribcage, 85% on Right Wrist. Anydesired “movement” can be implemented following variations of thistechnique, from any point A to point B, passing through the areas inbetween.

Methods and systems implemented in certain other embodiments use what iscalled “hit spreading” herein. For example, if a game character ispunched in the stomach, the user should also feel the energy of thepunch going all the way to the user's back. In a VR simulation, when anarea is hit by a punch, a fireball, or any other of form of energy thathits the user's character in the virtual world, the energy will spreadto other areas. If a virtual enemy launches a fireball and the characterdefends it with bracelets, in the real world the energy felt vibratingon the user's wrist that got hit will trigger vibrations on the ribcagewith less intensity and on the back with even less intensity.

In certain other embodiments, for example, a game character may enter azone with a “force field,” and in response in the real world, thevibrations get stronger in the area of the body that is closer to thefield but other areas of the user's body will vibrate as well, althoughwith less intensity.

In certain other embodiments, what are called the “Laser SwordPenetration” methods and systems herein can be understood as vibrationsspreading on the areas that are being poked by a sword, but in order tomake the effect more compelling, the vibrations also pulse in theneighboring areas, though with less intensity.

While the above description contains many specifics and certainexemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merelyillustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and thatthis invention is not limited to the specific constructions andarrangements shown and described, since various other modifications mayoccur to those ordinarily skilled in the art, as mentioned above. Theinvention includes any combination or sub combination of the elementsfrom the different species and/or embodiments disclosed herein.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a plurality ofwearable vibratory motors comprising: a first motor configured to bedisposed over a user's first wrist or ankle; and a second motorconfigured to be disposed over the user's second wrist or ankle; and asignal processor configured to receive an input signal and generate aplurality of electrical driving signals in real time, wherein theplurality of electrical driving signals generated by the signalprocessor are configured to drive the plurality of vibratory motorsaccording to a predefined mapping of portions of the input signal to theplurality of vibratory motors.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein theplurality of vibratory motors are coupled to one or more wearablearticles.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality ofvibratory motors is coupled to a strap configured to be worn about theuser's first wrist or ankle or the user's second wrist or ankle.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vibratory motors furthercomprises at least a third motor coupled to a wearable vest.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the vibratory motors are wirelessly coupledto the signal processor.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the inputsignal comprises real-time audio detected via one or more microphones.7. The system of claim 1, wherein the input comprises a pre-recordedaudio signal.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal processor isconfigured to generate the electrical driving signals such that at leasttwo of the vibratory motors vibrate at different frequencies from oneanother.
 9. A system comprising: a plurality of vibratory motorscomprising: a first motor configured to be disposed over a user's firstwrist or ankle; and a second motor configured to be disposed over theuser's second wrist or ankle; and a signal processor communicativelycoupled to the plurality of vibratory motors, the signal processorconfigured to: receive an input signal; and based at least in part onthe input signal, and according to a predefined mapping of the inputsignal to the plurality of vibratory motors, generate a plurality ofelectrical driving signals.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein theplurality of vibratory motors further comprises at least a third motorcoupled to a wearable vest.
 11. The system of claim 9, furthercomprising one or more microphones, wherein the input signal comprisesreal-time audio detected via the one or more microphones.
 12. The systemof claim 9, wherein the input signal comprises a pre-recorded audiosignal.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the signal processor isconfigured to generate the electrical driving signals such that at leasttwo of the vibratory motors vibrate at different frequencies from oneanother.
 14. A method comprising: disposing a plurality of wearablevibratory motors about a user such that: a first motor is disposed overthe user's first wrist or ankle; and a second motor is disposed over theuser's second wrist or ankle; receiving, at a signal processor, one ormore input signals; generating, via the signal processor, a plurality ofelectrical driving signals for the plurality of vibratory motors in realtime and according to a predefined mapping from the one or more inputsignals to the plurality of vibratory motors; and providing theelectrical driving signals to the plurality of wearable vibratory motorssuch that the first motor vibrates against the user's first wrist orankle and the second motor vibrates against the user's second wrist orankle.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the vibratory motors arecoupled to one or more wearable articles.
 16. The method of claim 14,wherein the plurality of wearable vibratory motors comprises at least 4vibratory motors.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the vibratorymotors are wirelessly coupled to the signal processor.
 18. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the input signal comprises real-time audio detectedvia one or more microphones.
 19. The method of claim 14, wherein theinput signal comprises a pre-recorded audio signal.
 20. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the signal processor is configured to generate theelectrical driving signals such that at least two of the vibratorymotors vibrate at different frequencies from one another.